Oblivion of Memory
by Katjae
Summary: As much of a trope as a character losing his/her memory is, when the opportunity is presented, I do enjoy messing around with it. I explain more in the note, but this is after CP and will probably be an AU to any event in the new/future game(s). Ragna lost his memory, so what now? Will he fall to darkness or continue to be a stubborn bastard, even without his memory?
1. Chapter 1

~~ Author's Note :

Like most of my content, takes place after the game is said and done, so SPOILERS

I haven't entirely finished the game(s) but I get the gist of what happened through synopsis / overview. I'm still getting trolled by the Gag reels and what have you. Anyway, this takes place after Chrono Phantasma, but overrides the next installment because I got a spoiler of some sort to where it was headed and I felt it was lack-luster. If you're going to :: spoilers :: Erase your main characters mind, at least have a little fun with it. My opinion, of course, but this is just for the hell of it.

Chapter One

Oblivion of Memory

A cold breeze brushed against his checks. He opened his eyes, but he should not have bothered; his surroundings were pitch black and he was freezing. He closed his eyes tight and curled his body into a ball to preserve heat. Soon, he drifted back into slumber.

He saw in his dreams flames and . . . a battle. There were many faces, blurred away in the passage of his dreams. It flickered before him, soon fading into an empty oblivion, a state he currently found himself in. He could not recall the reason for that battle or who was involved. Even the faces . . . they all dissolved into darkness.

He woke up again and stretched, reaching out to grasp . . . something. Anything. Where was he? He could not feel anything – in fact, it was like he was suspended in this place . . . wherever it was. He let his arms go limp. There was nothing beneath him, either . . . nothing above or below, or to his sides.

'Am I dead?' He thought immediately.

He inhaled deeply, trying to feel his body. The air was trapped in his lungs, where he held it a few moments before exhaling. The air was cold, however, so he starting coughing, which soon became hacking.

Well at least that felt normal . . .

"Damn that burns!" He yelled through stiffened breaths. His voice echoed around him, bouncing off of what? The blanketed space around him?

'So . . . what happened?' he followed the traces of his thoughts back and could only remember snippets. 'Before that, then?' He thought, though recalled nothing. 'Think . . . '

But nothing came to mind, though something felt familiar about the darkness. He could almost think of a battle. There were people there, close to him, important to him . . . so important that he can't think of a single detail?

'Come to think of it . . . ' His thoughts strayed, his eyebrows crinkled, 'Who am I, again?' How does one person simply forget everything? No . . . it had to be there. He turned his head to the right and squinted. The space around him sort of looked like fog, only it was black instead of a white haze. The wind definitely moved it around, he could make out some movement.

'Something about Destiny . . . ' He thought.

"Hell with this, I need to get out of here." He looked to his left and saw basically the same thing. He forced his weight to his right side, trying to roll over and push himself up . . . off of what ground, well, he was improvising.

He managed to flip over and was now facing the ground. He finally could see beneath him and he really wished he didn't look. His vision tunneled for a split second – not that anything had really changed, but looking down almost made him think there was a bottom. If he did start to fall, at least maybe he could move around a little easier.

. . . Unless it's a bottomless pit, in which case he's royally screwed.

"Come on, think of something else, dammit!" He growled at himself.

He put his arms under him, trying to – somehow – prop himself up, but there was nothing to give him that counter force.

"Argh, now what!?" He went limp again, feeling the cold air strike him, "I'm going to freeze to death (well, that is if I'm not ALREADY dead) if I don't get out of here soon!" He stared at the pit, "How am I even floating? This reaaally doesn't make a damn bit of sense!" While he was complaining, he noticed how his voice bounced back at him.

"There has to be a wall . . . or something . . . If I can just make it somewhere . . . maybe I can start climbing . . . now how the hell do I move?" He sighed heavily, really starting to get ticked off. He wondered, again, where he was. This was not normal by any stretch of the imagination. He wondered if anything else was around and if he could call out to them, but worried that would attract attention that was unwelcome. Like wild animals or . . .

Ghosts.

Ghosts? Why the hell did he think about ghosts!? He stifled a small whimper and focused on his bizarre task of getting out of this unknown predicament that he seemingly could not remember how he got into in the first place.

He felt a gush of air come from below. This was different from the others for two reasons; One – the direction was off and Two: it was hot, like dog breath. It also had a foul odor, so count that as three.

"What now?" He whispered, looking into the abyss. Something shifted down there. It was large and it vibrated the area.

"Ah come on!" He hissed, "Really? Just my damned luck . . ." He thrusted his arm behind him to grab his sword and . . . in the midst of trying to figure out his little problem, somehow did not realize he did not have his sword on his back.

"You. Have got. To be KIDDING me!"

The creature thing shifted again and a squealing noise rang in his ears. Was it pissed off? What did he do to it other than hover above it against his own will?

"Look, pal, I don't want to be here anymore than you want me here, so can you give me a nudge out of this place?" Now he was pleading with a . . . giant . . . whatever. "I'm losing my mind, aren't I?" He sighed, half accepting his fate.

'Fate?'

Interesting, he thought, but didn't think too much on it. Instead, he focused on the beast'?' under him that caused all sorts of noise and movement.

He began to see a bright red light. It was a giant eye, he guessed belonging to whatever creature. And then, as his eye met with the creature's, a chill ran down his spine and his body froze. He felt fear and he felt a dark power coming from this monster. But it was strikingly familiar.

He did not blink, and neither did the single eye. They were locked together. His arms lost tension and he felt his heart pounding in his chest, neck, and ears. There was a pulsating sound around him, as well, one that did not belong to him.

The beast screeched again, leaving his ears to ring and to feel like they were bleeding. Even so, the man did not blink or move. He felt his mind and body succumbing to the horrific gaze and was powerless to stop it.

His head grew heavy and his temples throbbed. His eyes started to shut, but he fought the urge. The weight of it wanted to pull him into a deep slumber, one he wasn't even entirely sure he would wake from.

"N-No . . ." He responded weakly. His body felt like it was sinking, drawing closer to the monster. His eyelids closed on him and he desperately tried to open them. His vision blurred, but he could still see the red eyes through the cloudiness. Ultimately, it felt as though his body grew tired and the breath was even being crushed out of him.

He gave into it, unable to resist it any further. He closed his eyes and fainted.


	2. Chapter 2

Ch2

The Familiar Darkness

The man was motionless, cradling in knees in his arms, floating in the endless darkness. He dreamed peacefully, completely unaware of the world around him. His dreams took him back to a comfortable place. A church, a meadow, a tree . . . simple, yet everything he wanted was there.

He saw a few people, whose faces had been obliterated from his memory. He could hear them talking and laughing, but he could not make anything out.

One of the characters in his dream was a young blonde boy. He was running around, playing, laughing . . . but the man still could not see his face or place a name to that child. Soon, the dream started to fade, marking the end of one fantasy and the beginning of a nightmare.

He saw flames than nothing. He heard nothing, felt nothing. He felt a gnawing emptiness in his gut and terror took hold of his body.

He snapped awake, terrified of the twist his dream took. He looked down at himself – he could make out that his arm sleeves were red and it covered a mostly black outfit. He shivered, remembering the cold air as it hit his back.

He rolled on his back and stretched his body out, feeling the tension in his limbs release.

The man observed that he was still in his floating predicament, though the creature was nowhere to be seen. He did feel incredibly weak and his stomach growled. He was hungry, freezing, and weak.

He did not move this time, though. He watched the blanketed darkness circle ever so slowly above him and thought about his dream. He did not want to leave, though was damn curious who those people were. Maybe he made them up. Maybe he was alone in this abyss of a world.

He drifted along, ignoring the hunger pains and unforgiving wind. He exhaled deeply, seeing his breath somewhat. He felt his eyes getting heavy again and embraced it. He gently shut them and saw the place again. A small smile crept on his face and he slipped back into the dream world.

He dozed off for some time, replaying the same memory over and over again. The only one he could almost remember. He feared going too much forward, however; he wanted to know more, but was afraid of the dark turn that is seemed destined to follow. He wanted to keep the safe place alive, so he avoided going beyond that point. Maybe someday he would get bored with it, but for now, he was content.

He felt his back gently touch something beneath him, and his body collapsed along with it. He landed on what was prickly and wet. The wind picked up, but it was neither cold nor did it resemble dog breath. It was a morning breeze in late spring, where life had re-emerged and again braced itself for the heat of summer. It was warm and gentle; the morning light pierced his eyelids. He shielded himself with his arm and opened his eyes.

He was resting at the base of a tree – the leaves were in full bloom. His sight led him to a church right in front of him. Instead of spectating the dream, he finally found himself in it. He listened for a minute, trying to discern any voices or laughter in the distance, but did not hear anything aside from the gentle wind.

He debated investigating the area, but did not really want to move. He was okay with just resting at the tree.

'They'll come for me when they're ready,' He thought, 'they always do.'

Wait. Who were 'they' exactly? He furrowed his eyebrows, trying to remember. 'Will they come back for me?' He wondered, still unable to identify who he so desperately wanted to see.

#

A figure watched the man from a cautious distance. He did not detect the shadowy creature that lurked nearby. The shadow recognized the person and approached slowly, trying not to disturb him. It knelt beside the man, who currently was passed out again.

The figure tried to speak, but could not muster it. The enigmatic being could not figure out how to communicate with this person, or anyone else for that matter. It had been awake for a while now, though at first he could only recognize the feeling and energy put off by this person – now he could tell by sight. It was developing, though a lot of things still perplexed the shadow.

The figure laid down beside the man, looking up at the makeshift sky produced by the dream. How can one dream inside of a dream? The shadow guessed anything was possible, and watched the clouds drift overhead.

The figure felt happy in this peaceful little world. It started to hum a lullaby, something foreign and yet familiar.

#

The man was aroused from sleep from a gentle tune.

'Where is that coming from?' He opened his eyes and turned his head toward the sound. There was a mass – a figure shrouded in darkness. It looked like a shadow took on the mold of a human body.

He shot up and gasped at the sight.

"Who – what are you?!" He demanded. He was spooked by the apparition before him. The shadow disappeared and re-emerged a safe distance away from the man. Their eyes met – the man had two different colors, a red and a green eye.

The shadow had red eyes. In fact, the color filled the entire shape of the eyes. The figure, once looking humanoid, now appeared more beast than man.

"Beast?" Something clicked in the man's head, "Black . . . Beast?" The shadow did not move, only gazed back at the man. It was not threatening, at least, not as far as the man could tell.

"Ra . . ." The figure tried to speak in the human tongue, but found it difficult. The man did not move. His eyes were fixated and his body refused to move. He was frozen in place by fear and wonder.

". . .g'na . . ." The figure finished, though was tired out. A chill ran down the man's spine. Was this a spirit? A . . . ghost?

'God I really hope not,' He cringed a little. No wait, what was that about a 'Black Beast'? He cursed himself for not remembering the important details in a time where he might actually need it.

The shadow got a little irritated that the man did not respond. So he tried again in a ghastly voice, "Rag . . . na."

"Ragna?" The man repeated. The figure stood up, excited that he was making progress. The man, on the other hand, tensed in an instinct to defend himself.

"Ragna!" The shadow repeated, sounding now like a young child. The word was familiar.

"What's a . . . Ragna?" He asked, feeling foolish that he was conversing with this mass. The figure pointed back at him.

"Me?" He asked. It did sound accurate, the name felt like it did belong to him. He relaxed a little bit, starting to feel at ease around this shadowy figure, but still kept his guard up.

"Who are you?" Ragna asked, though the creature sat back down and paused.

"A. . . ure," The figure tried to reply, but still was not used to or entirely comfortable with the concept of speaking yet. The creature slunk down, his eyes narrowing as his frustration grew.

"Ah," Ragna started to say, "d-don't worry about it." He felt the negative energy coming from the shadow, though it still hardly felt menacing. More like a kid about to throw a temper-tantrum.

The figure relaxed, his eyes opened wide at Ragna's command.

"Ugh, so . . . is this a dream?" He asked aloud, though mostly to himself. The shadow was listening, however, and replied, "Dream."

"A dream, huh? How do I get out of the dream?"

"Wake."

"Gee, thanks," Ragna sighed, half wondering if the shadow gave him a smartass retort. The shadow tilted his head sideways, signifying a look of confusion. Perhaps not, then. The shadow started to approach again. Ragna tensed up in response.

It halted, sensing Ragna's apprehension. They made eye contact again.

"Wake . . . up," The shadow said.

"How?" Ragna looked around, "I'm still stuck here, wherever here is."

"For . . . ward," The creature managed, "Move."

"'Forward'," Ragna repeated, trying to decipher, "You want me to move forward?" He asked.

"Yes," The creature nodded, learning the human gestures.

"You mean, move forward with the dream. I really, reeaally don't want to do that," Ragna admitted, though he could not recall what was so horrible beyond this point.

"Memories. You're . . . scared," The shadow said, "I'm scared, too." It said, starting to get a handle on words.

"What are you scared of?" Ragna asked gently, though was kind of curious about what the shadow meant by 'memories'? Were they Ragna's memories or the shadow's? Both? The shadow did not reply. He moved toward the church and touched the outer wall.

Ragna got up and followed the shadow, "So what happened here? What is this place?"

"Home," The shadow replied.

". . .'Home' . . ." That was pretty accurate of the shadow, at least, that's what Ragna felt in his gut. But how did this shadow know so much?

"Fire," Was the shadow's next word. Ragna did not repeat the word this time, but felt a deep sense of loss and despair. He remembered his childhood home burning to the ground. And a shadow . . . a different kind of shadow. This was a menacing form.

Ragna held his face, the heartache from that particular chapter returning to him.

'It's gone. All of it. Everything important to me is taken by the flames.' He thought bitterly, though the voice belonged to a much younger boy.

"No more . . ." He said, "I don't want to go any further." The shadow appeared to sympathize with Ragna, but offered no verbal support.

The world dissolved around them and was replaced by the darkness once again. They were not floating, however, Ragna's feet stayed on the ground, though it was indistinguishable from the rest of the surroundings. He lost visual on the shadow, until a pair of bright red eyes set on him, sending another nerve-wrecking chill down his back.

"Oh MY GOD, that's freaking me the hell out!" He shouted at the shadow. The red eyes grew wider, then disappeared.

"Wait . . . Where'd you go!?" Ragna demanded.

"Eyes shut now," It replied.

"N-No, you don't have to do that . . . just . . . ugh," Ragna sighed, "Just don't sneak up on me, okay?"

"Okay!" The eyes reappeared, the voice very enthusiastic.

"At least one of us is having fun."

"Fun!" It chirped.

"Right . . . so . . . I'm still dreaming, right?"

"Dream, yes."

"Great. But this feels like it shouldn't be a dream. Are you positive?" Ragna asked the shadow.

"Hmm . . . dream . . . Yes."

"Oh, now that you're talking to me, I didn't catch your name. Do you even have a name?" Ragna asked.

"Name? Name . . . Azure."

"'Azure'?" He repeated, that word on the tip of his tongue. He heard that before, somewhere.

"Called Azure. But am . . . don't have a 'name'."

'Grimoire. Azure Grimoire.' Ragna thought, suddenly the pieces were starting to come together. The Azure Grimoire and the Black Beast. He felt uneasy about this, was he being followed by that creature? He glanced behind him. The figure was a little unnerving, but seemed harmless.

"Are you the Azure Grimoire?" Ragna asked point blank, trying to get as much information as possible.

"Grim . . . waar?" It repeated, "What is that?" The shadow was relatively ignorant, then. Perhaps it doesn't even know what power it could potentially hold. Well, Black Beast or not, Ragna would have to be careful not to anger it. Perhaps this mass of shadows – currently appearing as two glowing orbs – was very dangerous, but Ragna could not help but think of it as a child. It was very immature in its mannerisms.

"Ragna sudden quiet," The shadow observed, "Azure upset him?"

"No, you are fine. I'm just thinking," Ragna sighed. Ignorant it might be, but it was hellishly observant.

#

The shadow let Ragna think, hoping he would figure out his memory issue. The shadow also thought, trying to find a way to be useful. The shadow could see bits and pieces of Ragna's memory, but it was like a puzzle. He would see one memory but that memory would not link to another, so it was a scattered mess.

The shadow also had memories of its own. It remembered the day that he and Ragna met, though it was barely cognizant at that point and doubted that Ragna would remember it quite like the shadow did.

The shadow had a natural disdain for humans, though the reason was lost. It grew comfortable with Ragna, however, simply because it liked Ragna's energy. It was plenty dark and hot, but warm and compassionate at the same time. But something . . . happened. The shadow likewise had a memory problem.

"Oh come on," Ragna stopped, "I'm walking and walking and seeing nothing different! What is up with this pitch black hell?" He growled. The shadow giggled.

"Oh, so this is funny to you?" He turned around and eyed the shadow tagging along behind him.

"No. You're funny to me." Ragna's expression dropped, ". . . Nevermind," He sighed, "Can you just answer me this? Is there ANY point in me wandering around in this . . . whatever?"

"Oh!" The shadow just had an idea, "Think of a light." Ragna raised an eyebrow, "A light? Why?"

"Way finder." Ragna gave the shadow a confused look, then thought about what it said. 'Think about a light? What the hell is that going to do for me?'

'Wait, did it know the term "way finder"?' A sudden feeling rushed over him. This child like shadow reminded him of someone else. A certain person who was a good friend, but also a bit of a mooch.

"Good Guy!" A feline voice called out in his head, "Very, very hungry, meeeeeeowww! Will drop dead from excruciating huuungerrrrrrrrrr, meeeeeeowwwww . . . "A smirk appeared on his face, but he still could not picture a face or come up with a name.

"You're smiling!" The shadow said, "You must remember something?" It hoped for a positive reply.

"Sort of," He nodded, still attempting to visualize a face. Instead of that, however, a light flickered from behind. Ragna turned around and saw the space go from no light to a white room.

"Another memory?" He asked. The shadow hesitated, then said very seriously, "Wait." He felt disturbed by this sudden room.

"What?" Ragna asked, sensing the shadow's apprehension.

"This room is dangerous," It continued, ". . .Be careful."

"All right, don't worry about me," Ragna said, "I'll be fine. Besides, I need to move forward to wake up, right?"

". . .R-right . . ." The shadow sighed. Ragna was disturbed by its sudden shift in personality, but he did not worry about it too much. Instead, he focused his energy on this room.

The shadow could not get over this feeling of doom and dread. What was wrong with this room? It did not feel like a memory . . . though its structure was eerily similar to it. If it was not a memory . . . than what?

The shadow desperately searched for an answer, before it was too late to turn back. It was not a memory, so it had no tangible impact on Ragna's past. So it must be something from the future.

A prediction.

What kind of prediction? One of many possibilities.

'Wait a minute . . .' something was in the back of the shadow's mind. 'This is a possible outcome, but . . .'

"Ragna!" The shadow called, but it was too late. A warrior clad in white armor appeared in the room, issuing a challenge to Ragna.

"Get away from him, Ragna!" The shadow yelled, running in after him. He did not have his sword, so Ragna was basically defenseless. Even though this was a prediction, something that has yet to happen, the wounds inflicted here would still impact – and potentially kill Ragna's soul.

But why was there a prediction now? That was beyond their combine powers. Not that it really mattered.

The Azure Shadow changed its form, becoming a sword similar to that of Ragna's other blade. He made it in time for Ragna to respond and block.

"Turn back!" He heard the shadow's voice, "We should not be here!" Ragna jumped back and fled as the shadow requested.

"You can turn into a sword!?" Ragna asked, completely missing the other point.

"I guess I can!" The shadow – now a blade – answered, "But that occurrence. That should not have happened. It's . . . hard to explain, so just keep running and make sure you don't get hit by that guy!"

"Understood," Ragna upped his pace and made it to the edge of where that room began and where the shadowy abyss awaited them. The moment his foot stepped into the dark ground, the shadow said, "We should be safe here . . . but damn, that's weird. That should not have happened."

"What was that?" Ragna asked, looking at the room. The armored guy was gone, but the room still remained.

"A prediction. Something that hasn't happened yet, and perhaps would not. However, in your current state, you are much too vulnerable to be fighting anything."

"Since when were you able to talk in complete sentences?" Ragna asked, completely forgetting the point.

"No clue. Not the issue. Can we please focus?" The shadow sword asked snippily, "Because I don't think we can move forward until this room is cleared."

"All right, then. Hey, what do you mean by my 'current state'?"

"Well, since we are in a dream sequence, you are a spirit. A wandering soul. If you get hit, you'll take damage straight where you are most vulnerable, which will mean certain death. Maybe you can overpower it . . . maybe. But still, the risk needs to be evaluated before we jump back in there."

"A soul? Does that make me . . ."

"No, you're not a ghost. Not yet, anyway. You keep this up and we'll both be, though," The sword took on a very nagging tone all of a sudden.

"So, what do we do about our problem, then?" Ragna asked, dismissing the shadow. It evidently seemed to understand what was going on better than he did, and at least the shadow was invested in Ragna's survival.

"Actually, I think I might have an idea. You need to clear this, but the point of this is for you to 'observe it'. If I take your place, then you can still see without taking damage," The sword altered its shape and took on a mirrored form of Ragna's, "If I get hit by the masked guy, I won't be as badly hurt as you would be."

"Damn, that's effing creepy! How are you doing that? Never mind that, I can't let you take hits for me."

"Trust me, I'll be fine. I'm not as fragile as you," The shadow said in reassurance, but somehow ended up backhandedly insulting Ragna.

"I'm not fragile, either, you know."

"In this state, you might as well be glass," The shadow said again, although he did not mean it as harshly as it sounded. Part of it was the way he phrased it and the other half was because it sounded like Ragna's voice. He mirrored everything.

"You just need to see this. Whatever is ahead might be the key to unlocking your past."

"Tch, fine. Just be careful," Ragna resented the idea still, but he was afraid the shadow might be correct in its analysis. He watched from the outside as the shadow took his place in the upcoming battle.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Apotheosis

The two of them were in a place of twilight; there was a small lake beside a meadow and darkness covered the earth. The shadow reassumed its first form and stayed still. They would be safe here, for the moment.

Neither of them spoke and Ragna thought about what he saw in the prediction. The Spirit, on the other hand, started to slowly remember what happened before. And, to boot, since all of this was occurring on a spiritual level, it would take Ragna a while to figure it all out when he woke up. He would most likely forget all of this even happened.

The Spirit thought carefully on how to proceed. It would be very easy to do a lot of things at this point. The corrosion effects have already damaged his soul, the Spirit could take advantage of that, but at the same time, the corrosion effects also left the Spirit in a dire state. It woke the Spirit up, though, so it guessed it should be thankful for that. But back to the question of the hour: now what?

The Spirit was now in enough control to do as it pleased, so it started by placing Ragna in a temporary coma.

"Sorry about this . . ." He said as Ragna collapsed to the ground, "Now . . ." The Spirit reached for the right arm that linked Ragna to the Spirit, "Analyzing damage effect . . . Begin Report," The Spirit wanted to see exactly how much damage was inflicted to both of them.

"Initializing Process. . . calculating . . . damage analysis . . ." The Spirit cringed. It was as bad as he imagined, if not worse.

"Searching for recommended action . . . isolation commencing . . . processing . . . overriding restriction release. Minimalizing damage. Restoration process at 1% and continuing," The Spirit sighed, "This will buy you some time, at any rate. I think it's time you wake up now."

/

Rachel watched Tsubaki leave, feeling her determination and frustration.

"And so we begin a new phase in this chaotic timeline. The Apotheosis has finally arrived – the final climax to this dreadful doggerel," She disappeared when no one was looking and hovered over a field beneath the Embryo. As she observed, she noticed Ragna entering the Embryo, following the guidance of a figure Rachel was surprised had interfered.

"I see. I shall leave his fate in your hands, for the time being. But I wonder, the more you scrape the surface of your dreaded powers, how much will you uncover? Is this your end, or is this simply another obstacle?" She closed her eyes, "No matter . . . I have more pressing matters to attend to. As the curtain falls, I am able to proceed to the next act. The time has come to reveal a few new actors, both familiar and yet, different from the ones of this Timeline. Another dimension exists parallel to this one, acting upon it to give it a fighting chance . . . It is time for me to receive them."

She quickly glanced at the Embryo before shifting space and appearing in her Quarters. She looked into the mirror, unable to see herself in the reflection.

"Hmph, it is a pain to do so in this manner, but I'm afraid I have no other choice," She approached the mirror and touched its surface. The mirror rippled and turned black, "Until a while ago, I was unable to peer into this particular world," She looked over her shoulder to see her faithful manservant, who politely let himself in.

"So, it is time then?"

"Yes. Whatever Terumi wanted to block from my sight, I shall see now."

"Which one is it, M'lady?"

"The one much different than all the others. The one which the Time Loop held no affect. The Initiator."

"I see. Mind if I gaze alongside you?" He approached her.

"I do not mind. Though, this might take some time."

"I'm well aware. But this will be beneficial for us both."

"I agree. Let us begin," She touched the mirror again and their vision was engulfed by what she wished to perceive.

The Alternate Universe

~Initiator~

Jin sat in his office as usual, studying over the paperwork before him. He made it his goal to come in early and complete his tasks before his Lieutenant arrived – not out of a sense of duty, but because there was some things he did not wish her to know.

He eyed the clock – it just turned 6:00 A.M. The night staff was leaving for the morning guard shift turnover. He was not even really required to be in his office until about 8:00 or so. That is when Tsubaki would greet him with a tired expression, worrying about his impulse to arrive so early and leave so late.

Jin yawned while opening his drawer to find a letter. It was from Kagura, heir to the Head of the Duodecim. He already guessed the contents of the letter – it had an official stamp to dodge suspicion, but Jin knew of a certain 'plan' of his. He felt uneasy not telling his Lieutenant of the plan, for fear that her allegiance to the Imperator was stronger than her own sense of Justice. Those in charge are just when the people they serve are a priority – Jin knew full well that the NOL was just a means to constrain them and keep a greater secret hidden.

Jin inquired a while ago as to whether or not he should inform Tsubaki of the upcoming events, but Kagura insisted on keeping it as low key as possible until the proper moment arrived. Not even Jin knew when that would be, but he followed Kagura's plan anyway.

Jin wrote out a reply to Kagura – he had meant to send this out the day before, but Tsubaki was around the entire day and as such he was not able to send out the reply.

After he finished the letter, he sealed it with his Family's Crest, and personally walked it out to the Front Desk. The person running the Lobby had a tired expression on her face, but smiled as she greeted the Major, "Good morning, Major Kisaragi. I see you're here as bright an early as ever. Well . . . minus the 'bright' part," she looked out the window to the gloomy overcast sky.

". . . Yes. Good morning. This letter needs to find itself in the hands of General Kagura Mutsuki as soon as possible. It is of the utmost importance and needs to be handled with care. If this letter is lost or captured by any unsuspecting enemy, there will be a major problem. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, sir. We go through this every time you and General Mutsuki mail each other. We will see to it that he receives this letter by nightfall. Is there anything else, Major?"

"No, that is all," Jin turned around and walked back toward his office. He had a lot on his mind and the ever-growing pile of documents on his desk only provoked his stress. He sorted through the documents – official NOL business he placed on one side; things he wanted to hide from Tsubaki he placed on the other. He would just have her see to the paper work when she arrived, giving him ample time to discern his more 'personal' readings.

It had been a few months since he and Kagura met in person – they still had to keep up with appearances, but Jin really needed to speak with him in person. He worried that using the NOL mail transportation would be risky, but he agreed it would be the safest way to send mail in the long run. No one would open the letters between two prominent members of the Duodecim unless they were criminals or higher in status than them. There weren't very many people higher in the food chain than Kagura and Jin felt that they avoided suspicion well.

He looked up at the clock again. It was only 6:30 – a blessing and a curse at the same time. How could time pass so slowly and yet so fast at the same time? He felt urgency wash over him as he hurried to finish the more important aspects of his research. He still needed to get through some of the 'Official' Documentations that Tsubaki didn't have clearance for. He had hoped to avoid causing suspicion in her the most.

(At 7:30 I should put these away and look over the other documents . . . Hm . . . what's this?) He found something interesting, and slid it on top of the stack. Kagura kept sending him suspicious funding transfers from the Intelligence Department that apparently lead to nowhere. Neither Jin nor Kagura could find out where the money trail led, though Jin had a few guesses.

He filed the document away, wanting to come back to that later if he found matching clues. He continued reading the other files, but nothing quite caught his attention. He acknowledge Kagura's suspicions about the Intelligence Department, but also could not find substantial proof. He did wonder how Kagura found out about the Intelligence Department in the first place . . . Even though they were on the same side, Kagura withheld a lot of information.

Then again, it wasn't like Jin was being completely honest, either. He had his reasons for snooping around, as degrading as it was. He continued filing away documents by priority – things he felt relevant he'd keep closer to the first document he found, others he stored outside of Tsubaki's view. He would carefully dispose of them later.

As he finished, he noted that he won against the clock. It was 7:10 and he had plenty of time to spare. Without another moment wasted, he looked over and signed documents for the NOL, hoping to finish before Tsubaki arrived.

As he scribbled his name for the hundredth time this morning, he heard a knock on the door. He glanced up again . . . 7:30? Who would be up this early?

"Major Kisaragi! One of your sisters are here," He sighed. He knew which sister. His family was large – well, he did not really consider all of them to be 'his family' but there was one girl in particular that he allowed near him.

"Yes, let her in," He sighed, grinding his teeth. A young green-eyed girl with long blonde hair entered. Her hair was tied to the side and was braided. It went down to her stomach like that. She wore school attire, although she did not go to the Military Academy on account of being sick all the time. She was brilliant, though, so their adoptive father trained her personally.

"Saya," Jin said, "What are you doing here, so far from home?"

"Father has already left. He won't be back for the rest of the month."

"You can't just come here . . . We've been over this before," She waved him off, "It's important. I figured this would be a good time to talk about . . . you know," She looked over her shoulder, attempting to see if anyone was eavesdropping through closed doors.

"I see. Have a seat," He said, "Keep your voice down. I don't want anyone to overhear us."

"I'm aware. I'll try to be brief before Tsubaki gets here," She folded her hands in her lap, "Are you certain about everything you've told me? Brother, the problems of the past are behind us, are you sure you want to be digging up trouble?"

"Not this again," Jin dropped his pen and looked at her, "We've been over this before, Saya."

"I understand your feelings, Jin. But . . . at the same time, I cannot relate. I don't even remember his face." Jin closed his eyes a moment. She was talking about something else, though not entirely unrelated. Still he had to refocus his thoughts.

"I don't remember any of it," She said softly, "So I can't understand . . . not really, but I do know this; we have a life here, like this. Why would you throw it away?" Jin did not answer her, but merely said, "You should study," He picked up his pen without looking in her direction. She watched him a moment. He was tense, obviously thinking about the past she could not recall.

She reached into her hand bag and began to read the History Book in her bag.

"Does Tsubaki know?" She asked, changing the subject since she was unable to focus on the book.

"No."

"Are you going to tell her?"

"Doubt it."

"Are you sure that is wise?"

"Saya . . ." Jin glanced at her again. Their eyes met and he felt uneasy for a moment, "You know, you don't have to apart of any of this. You can continue your studies in peace while I go and . . . complete what I think is necessary. You don't have to agree with me on everything, you know? But please . . . PLEASE don't get in my way."

"And lose both of my brothers?" She answered without skipping a beat, "I don't want that." Jin rolled the pen in his hand, thinking. It was too damn early to be having this argument.

"If you go and do this, what if you're caught? What if you're killed? Then I'd be alone."

"Guilt tripping me, Saya? Do you really think that's going to work?"

"No, but . . . it's true. I don't want to lose you because you can't let go of the past," she sighed, "Can you think about the future for a change?"

"As far as I know, any future I have was purchased at a steep price. Saya, please, let's discuss this another time. Tsubaki will be here soon, anyway."

"Trust me, we will continue this."

"Of that, I have no doubt," He replied with a chuckle. He glanced up at the time. Tsubaki would be arriving in a short while. He finished the last few documents before sealing them and placing them in the folder for outgoing mail.

He exhaled loudly as the last of the important, classified documents were completed.

"That sounded impressive," Saya laughed, "Would you like me to pick up some breakfast?"

"No, I'm fine. I'll just wait for Tsubaki and walk to the café with her."

"Ah, such a lovely couple you two would make," She teased.

"This is a professional environment. I would ne – "

"Oh, brother. You are such an idiot," she shook her head. Why did men have to be so ignorant? "Whatever," she shrugged, "I guess I can't be hanging around while you're out of office, so I'll let myself out when you go. Do you want to meet for lunch?"

"Does lunch come with an extra side of scolding?"

"Only if you ask for it," She winked.

"That isn't very reassuring. But sure, Tsubaki would probably love to catch up."

"Ah, using Tsubaki as the human meat shield to my nagging and scolding. Way to dodge another argument, brother. I see past your deception."

"Deception? What do you take me for? I would never use my Lieutenant in such a way."

"I take you for a fool, but I suppose I could take you as my brother and call it a day." She was quick in this game, Jin gave her that much.

"Speaking of Tsubaki . . . it isn't like her to be late," He noted, realizing that the time was 10 past 8. Normally she would be arriving about 7:45 and yet . . .

"That is odd, isn't it?" Saya agreed, "I wonder what has her tied up?"

"Everyone has their off days, I guess. But still, this IS Tsubaki we're talking about . . ." Jin trailed off, remembering the Academy days and how reliable Tsubaki had always been.

"Should we be worried?"

"Not yet. If she isn't here within the next five minutes, I'll go up to the Lobby. I guess you'll have to come with me. I'm really not supposed to have visitors while working, anyway." He reminded her again.

"Hah! Nah, they've half come to expect me at this point! I should just have my own key," She laughed, "Besides, you can sign off on my sheet that I'm gaining 'valuable' insight from one of the most influential heroes our world has ever seen!" 'Hero'. Right, that title. He cringed a little, but Saya did not notice.

"Right. Well, as long as it's for your studies and not so you can goof off."

"Me? Goof off!? Why, never!" She feigned innocence.

"Now who's being deceptive?" Jin glanced at the clock, getting nervous. Suddenly the door opened and in stepped a beautiful young red-headed woman.

"I apologize for my tardiness, Major. I was approached by one of the Intelligence Department's messengers on my way into work and was promptly debriefed. I was to hand this over to you immediately. . . . Ah! Saya, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

"N-no, I'm sorry. Was I supposed to hear any of that? I'll just step out a moment – " Jin took the papers from Tsubaki's hand to review them, his eyes narrowing at the mention of the Intelligence Department.

"Sir, it seems that . . . with your permission, I am to assist Captain Hazama of the Intelligence Department in his mission to hunt down a criminal said to be headed towards Kagutsuchi and is attempting to destroy an NOL branch. There is more about that in the report."

"Why you?" He asked, reading the report thoroughly, "Surely the Intelligence Department can handle their own missions."

"They seem to be . . . understaffed lately. Apparently I was well-recommended as someone who could be 'reliable'. I'm not entirely sure where this information is coming from, either, but regardless they are lacking in man power."

'SS-Class Criminal. Unknown Background / Origins. Wears a Red Jacket and carries a Large Sword.' (Who is this guy?) Jin thought to himself, turning the page over to the unofficial sketch, (Woah, is this guy ugly . . . So, he targets NOL Branches. I wonder, for what purpose?)

"Does this guy have a name?" Jin asked, not really caring.

"Only something crude that the citizens have dubbed him. 'Bloodedge' or something equally vulgar."

"And they want to send you after him?" Jin raised his eyebrow, remembering hearing something about this a while ago, "Tsubaki . . . I don't know about this one," He had a strong feeling against this.

"I can handle myself. Besides, my orders are to obtain Intel on him, not to approach. I am not to engage in combat with this assailant." He tapped his finger on the desk, looking over the very little known facts on this man. The fact the NOL has branded him with an SS-Class Criminal status only made him want to keep Tsubaki as far away from that mess as possible.

"It would be difficult for me to appeal this one, wouldn't it?" Jin asked, mostly to himself.

"With him approaching quickly, I doubt it. Major, I promise I won't let anything happen to me out in the field. You and I both know this comes with the job, as well. My role in this mission is very low key, I won't be in any danger."

"That promise is binding, Tsubaki. You better come back in one piece. If anyone hurts you, I will cut them down personally."

"Understood! . . . Thank you, Jin."

"Don't thank me yet. You might regret this, you know." (Or I might come to regret this). He signed off on her mission, though he wholeheartedly opposed it. She accepted the document and left. Saya re-entered the room and immediately noticed how tense Jin became.

"Saya, go home. I won't be having lunch with you," He stood up, "I'm going to have a little talk with someone. Don't expect me to be home for a while, I might be going on a trip."

"Did something happen?"

"I can't tell you, even if I wanted to. Don't trouble yourself too much. We will argue back and forth when I get back."

"O-Okay. Be careful, Brother," Saya picked up her bag and left Jin. He went to go discuss this mission with his Captain to request that he follow along as backup, just in case . . . He would have to have a secretory maintain the office, but all of the sensitive documents were locked away, and only he had the key to that particular cabinet.

/

Saya was eavesdropping the entire time. She overheard the exchange between her brother and Tsubaki and had a good guess as to what her brother planned on doing. He was more than likely going to Kagutsuchi to make sure Tsubaki was safe.

Saya hurried to the public port to buy a ticket – she was concerned as well, but unlike her brother, didn't need special permission to leave the area. With her adoptive father gone for the month and the other siblings barely noticing her coming and going, she figured she could get away with not showing up for a couple of days.

When she boarded, she found a quiet spot to sit and window watched. She wanted to overcome her sickness by keeping active – it's when she sat still that she noticed her body aching. Jin was going to be so mad at her when he found out that she went to Kagutsuchi instead of returning to the Kisaragi home like she was instructed.

When the window did nothing to alleviate her sickness, Saya opened her book and tried to focus on her studies. At least she could keep herself distracted from her illness by doing something equally grueling.

(History of the world . . . What a boring subject . . .) She cracked open the book and half-heartedly read the contents.

/

Rachel, who was peering from a distant world, saw the words inside the book.

" . . . As I suspected . . ."

"That world is truly different than ours, isn't it?" Valkenhayn agreed.

The first page started in the year 2100, the year the Black Beast first appeared in the world they now live in. Though in this book, there was no mention of such a creature – instead a world devastating war took its place. Ironically enough, the Black Beast managed to bring the world together in order to save what little people survived. Without the Beast, the world still tore itself apart. Factions formed, the countries were forced to ally themselves together and face each other in a worldwide catastrophic battle.

"Year 2100 – a fixed point in any timeline. The world was meant to be destroyed, regardless of any intervention. Terumi wished to hide this from us . . . why?" Rachel closed her eyes, stumped, "What is it about that particular point in time? What brought about this war? . . . Shall we proceed? We will find nothing out whilst simply twiddling our thumbs."

She knew of this world, but only managed to find glimpses of it and only when her enemies were distracted. There was something hidden in there, but what could it be?

There was at least one version of Saya who Izanami couldn't get her hands on, that much was clear.

She retouched the surface of the mirror and began to peer once again.


End file.
